


Beginning's End

by cloverfield



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: Alcohol, Bittersweet Partings, Champagne, F/M, Fai Being An Absolute Lush, Fai Showing Off, Family Feels, Gen, I Just Really Love The Tsubasa Family You Guys, I Love You Meme, Kurogane Having Feelings About Losing His Kids, M/M, Magic Tricks, Post-Series, The Family That Travels The Universe Together Stays Together (Until They Can't), Weddings, implied sexual references, platonic declarations of love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24896620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloverfield/pseuds/cloverfield
Summary: I Love You meme: from very far away“Kurogane-san,” says a voice, and he turns without thinking; finds himself smiling before he even catches Sakura’s eye. “We’re going to miss you, both of you.”Kurogane has to swallow again before he can speak, and the words are gruffer than he meant for when finally they make it past the tightness of his jaw. “We’re not leaving yet, princess.”
Relationships: Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane, Kurogane & Fai & Sakura & Syaoran & Mokona, Sakura | Tsubasa/Syaoran | Li Tsubasa
Comments: 8
Kudos: 77





	Beginning's End

**Author's Note:**

> A wedding in Clow, and a declaration.

The implication that the mage is cat-like is not exactly a new one (and Kurogane wears the excited claw-marks on back, hips, and buttocks to prove it accurate for the most part) but it should not, in theory, extend itself to Fai climbing tall objects with meowing eagerness when happily drunk. Except it does, and he _is_ , and at least half of Sakura’s wedding party is clapping in awe as Fai does some sort of complicated manoeuvre that results in him suspending himself upside down from a flag pole by the grace of one leg and the hook of his ankle.

It is, of course, the tallest possible flag pole in the whole of the palace grounds - and there’s quite a few of them besides, all strung with ribbons and streamers and other kinds of frippery Kurogane has no name for. The Princess - beloved of the people in general and her family (dimension-hopping and otherwise) in particular - is getting married. It’s the kind of occasion that calls for _bunting_.

“What’s a wedding without festivities,” says the priest happily, and Kurogane would take exception to the man who is probably the closest thing he’ll ever have to a husband swinging around a metal pole while laughing like a punch-drunk fool being called _festive_ (instead of what he is, i.e. stupid), except the priest has a bottle of that sparkly, fizzy wedding-wine and moreover he’s being quite generous with it.

So Kurogane just grunts and passes over his glass to be filled again, careful not to snap its long and skinny stem in the grip of his metal fingers. The fizzy stuff isn’t half bad, at least once you get past the shock of the bubbles bursting clean on your tongue.

“I’m just impressed he hasn’t spilled any of the champagne,” says the crown prince, sipping at his own glass. It’s his seventh or so, which is probably the only reason he’s so mellow at the thought of his little sister - _only_ sister, which makes it worse - all married off and slow dancing with the kid in the corner, spinning slow circles beneath the banners as the musicians strum out a lilting seranade. The last curling threads of sunset blaze in the jewelled drops scattered in Sakura’s hair, chiming delicately from her ears, crowning her headdress - but the light burns dim before the sheer _happiness_ in green eyes and even Kurogane has to smile to see it.

“It’s booze,” says Kurogane, letting his gaze drift away from the young couple gazing softly at one another with the kind of love that forswears the rest of the universe in its stead. “ _Good_ booze at that. He’s not gonna spill it.” That Kurogane knows from experience: if Fai ever spills liquor, it’s on _purpose_ , and usually so he can lap it up after with that wicked tongue and the kind of smouldering gaze that is not fit for polite company. Which is why Kurogane doesn’t elaborate further, just takes another slow mouthful and feels it simmer sharp against his tastebuds and the inside of his teeth.

“How long will you stay?” asks the prince - Touya, and Kurogane should probably get used to calling him that seeing as they are, in some strange sense, all but related-by-marriage now - and the question is only fair, even if it’s blunt.

“Long enough for him to sober up,” says Kurogane, and nods his head at the sudden flap of Fai’s cloak coming loose from his wedding finery, fluttering away from his shoulders and into the laughing crowd. The mage twists sinuously, curling upwards with the utmost elegance, and repositions slender limbs so that one hand curls atop the cap of the flag pole, those long legs speared upright towards the stars and the bottle of champagne dangling decorously in skinny fingers as his other arm sweeps out with pure theatrical spirit.

The crowd _ooooooh_ s in appreciation. Syaoran and Sakura are still dancing.

“We’ll probably leave after the celebrations are over, but not much after,” Kurogane continues, giving his answer proper thought now. Weddings, especially royal weddings, tend to go on for a while, and while it won’t be long enough - would never be long enough, to ease the pain of this final separation, no matter how many years passed - leaving before the high of celebration settles into the comfort of every-day life might make it a little easier for everyone to bear. “A couple of weeks. Got to say our goodbyes, send the manjuu back home first.”

Mokona, covered in flower-crowns and curled up dead-drunk on a chair, hiccups softly, giggling in her sleep; as Kurogane watches, the Queen Mother shrugs out of her ceremonial cloak and drapes it gently over tiny feet. There’s another bun thing waiting for Mokona, back in the little pocket world the Dimension Witch came from, and even Kurogane’s heart isn’t so stony to admit he’s going to miss her when she goes, one last trip to mark the end of all their journeys.

“I’m very curious to see Fai-san’s magic at work,” says Yukito, tuning back into the conversation and pouring the last of the champagne into Touya’s glass. “I’ve never met someone who could jump between the worlds more than once, under their _own power_ and with company at that - excluding dear Mokona-chan, of course.” His glasses shimmer with curiousity, gleaming in the shadow of the lanterns that start to glow, lighting up one by one as the sun dips below the horizon at last. “To see such power wielded so skillfully is surely a sight to behold.”

The manjuu hiccups again, and now Fai is balancing himself on two hands, his feet curling over his head in a crescent bow, the champagne bottle balanced gracefully on that fluffy head. He’s singing - well, _attempting_ to sing, at least.

“You’d think that,” says Kurogane dryly, and tips his glass up once more, the last swallow of the champagne cold and deliciously crisp where it trickles down his throat.

“Kurogane-san,” says a voice, and he turns without thinking; finds himself smiling before he even catches Sakura’s eye. “We’re going to miss you, both of you.”

Kurogane has to swallow again before he can speak, and the words are gruffer than he meant for when finally they make it past the tightness of his jaw. “We’re not leaving yet, princess.”

“You will soon, though,” she says, and the gentleness of her smile somehow makes it hurt all the more, the kind of bittersweetness that aches in his chest, settling soft and warm someplace behind his ribs.

Syaoran doesn’t say anything at all, just smiles - but then, the kid’s already said everything he needed to a while back. His hand slips free of Sakura’s, and before Kurogane knows exactly what’s happening, he’s caught between the newlyweds and being embraced like a man off to war.

“I’m just going home, I’m not _dying_ ,” growls Kurogane between the squeeze of two pairs of arms, but it’s really too breathless to have any snap to it, especially as Sakura starts laughing.

_“Oh, no fair - I want a hug too!”_

Fai somehow manages to make the words sound mournful, even through the beaming grin, and before Kurogane has the time to even take a breath to grumble about it, Sakura calls out “Well, you’d better get down here then before we’re all hugged out!”

Fai laughs, the sound high and clear and beautiful in a way that Kurogane didn’t realise laughter could be, and takes a tumble to right himself, the champagne bottle bursting into bubbles as it spins from his hands in a froth of glitter to shower down on the people below. “I do love you, Princess,” he says, with enough heart in the words to carry clear over the crowd.

“I love all of you,” says Fai, and the wonder in his eyes is more of a sight to behold than his magic ever could be. “So much. I love you.”

“Just get down here already,” is all Kurogane has to - is all Kurogane _can_ \- say to that. Because it’s not like the feeling isn’t _mutual,_ besides.

**Author's Note:**

> _Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end._
> 
> The request for this prompt was for familial love, with a travel worn and weary family saying their happy goodbyes at last. I thought a wedding would be an ideal way to deliver.
> 
> (The good thing about Fai's magic being of the dimension-hopping kind is that, while it's a farewell for now, it's not a farewell forever.)


End file.
